Day 106: Chicken Lasagna

5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 (26 oz) jar spaghetti sauce
1/2 cup water
1 tsp dried Italian seasoning
1 (4 oz) can mushrooms, drained
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
1 (16 oz) container cottage cheese
2 cups frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
8 whole wheat lasagna noodles
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Cut chicken breasts into 1 inch cubes. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and paprika; toss to coat. Heat olive oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add chicken; cook and stir until chicken is thoroughly cooked, about 9 minutes. Remove chicken from pan with slotted spoon. In drippings remaining in skillet, cook onion and garlic until tender. Stir in red bell peppers, spaghetti sauce, water, and Italian seasoning; bring to a simmer.

Meanwhile, in bowl combine cream cheese, eggs, and cottage cheese; beat until smooth. Stir in drained spinach and parmesan cheese. Break lasagna noodles in half. Place about 1 cup of the chicken mixture in bottom of 6 quart casserole.

Top with a layer of lasagna noodles, more chicken mixture, some cream cheese mixture, and mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers, ending with cheese. Cover, and cook on LOW 5-7 hours or until noodles are tender. To serve, scoop down deeply into the slow cooker to get all the layers. Makes 10-12 servings.

Review:
YES! I finally found a slow cooker lasagna recipe that I really love. This one and this one were pretty good, but there was always something missing. I love the combo of cream cheese, spinach, cottage cheese and red pepper in this recipe. Next time I will also add a can of mushrooms. This could easily be made into a ground beef lasagna or sausage lasagna if you aren’t a chicken fan. I give this recipe 4 1/2 stars and it will be added to my list of personal favorite’s.